This invention relates in general to cleaning or protective systems for sensitive optical, mechanical, electrical, or chemical components and, more particularly, to cleaning systems for optical elements on a vehicle relatively moving rapidly in a fluid medium.
The systems of this invention have applications to minimize undesirable materials or objects that cause optical obstructions or degradations on critical optical components; wear, jamming, breakage, overloading, or other degradations in sensitive mechanical components; shorting and leakage currents in delicate electrical components; or severe corrosion, contamination, or unwanted chemical reactions in important chemical components. These degradations often make the operation of the sensitive components and elements or related equipment difficult or dangerous.
For illustration purposes, these systems are described mostly with cleaning systems that remove or prevent the accumulation of undesirable material or object such as water, rain, fog, and particles of dust, salt or frozen water (snow, ice, hail) from optical components or elements on a vehicle; or snow or ice from airplane or hydroplane wings; or pebbles, sand, leaves, twigs, or birds from jet engine air intakes. The vehicle relatively moves rapidly at a given velocity v in a fluid medium such as air;
Light-transmitting windows or light-reflecting mirrors on vehicles (such as automobiles) relatively moving in a fluid medium (air, mixed air and water, or other fluid) often degrade in their light transmitting or reflecting qualities if undesirable material or object such as those listed above strike or collect on them.
The conventional automobile, has defroster on the front and/or back windows. The defroster only slowly removes thin snow or ice, and yet consumes much power to heat the cold air and to blow out the hot air. In addition, the motor-generated air stream has relatively low velocity to efficiently remove many undesirable materials or objects. Also, they are no devices to clean the many undesirable materials and objects on the side windows or rearview mirrors.